Gemotions

I traced the outlines of the photographs with my fingertip. My grandfather, the quiet, reserved man I'd known, was a soldier. That was the story. But in these images, he was a smiling photographer, documenting the lives of his fellow soldiers.

He was also holding hands with a young woman, a woman he was not married to. He smiled, and she laughed. The emotions in the photographs were clear. I felt a chill spread through me, a profound feeling of… letdown.

The world seemed to blur. My throat tightened, and I struggled to breathe. The truth was a heavy burden, the weight pressing down on me, as heavy as the box I sat beside.